Sweden and the Revival of the Capitalist Welfare State

This book tackles a number of controversial questions regarding Sweden’s economic and political development: • How did Sweden become rich? • How did Sweden become egalitarian? • Why has Sweden since the early 1990s grown faster than the US and most EU-countries despite its high taxes and generous welfare state? The author uses new research on institutions and economic reforms to explain the rise, the fall and the recent revival of the Swedish welfare state. The central argument is that a generous welfare state like Sweden’s can work well, provided that it is built on well-functioning capitalist institutions and economic openess.